Only My Magic Levels Up - Chapter 94
Only Noblemtl
Episode 94: A Change of Mood (4)
If you take a map of the Northeastern Archdiocese and draw a straight line from Mezjaia to Oklanye.
If you extend that straight line back to ancient times, it reaches the realm of the earth elves.
In short, crossing the mountains near Oklanne was ‘theoretically’ the fastest way to get to your destination.
Of course, it was necessary to have the military power to avoid the evil spirits that would be encountered while crossing the mountain range where there was no proper path.
Since the party consisted of three golden men, there was nothing to worry about as they would have had to worry about the evil spirits instead.
“The way back is quite a bit further north. It takes about twice as long, but it’s still a ‘road’ to some extent.”
“Well, is there really any need to go back? It wouldn’t be all that comfortable there either.”
“That’s true.”
“I’ll just go, then!”
Anyway, it was ‘relatively’ comfortable, but the point was that you had to keep camping and climbing mountains, whether there or here.
The difference between going short and tight or long and loose.
Galen and Lilia chose the former, because it wasn’t too hard for them at all.
“Would you like to buy one donkey each?”
“A mule? What mule?”
“I don’t mind, and I don’t think Lilia will mind either, but Galen, you’re weak, aren’t you?”
“… … Compared to you two.”
It was a bit insulting to his pride, but it was a fact, so Galen pursed his lips.
The priest has the miracle of vitality, and the earth elf is just a human boy or girl with a shell, but their essence is completely different. Without magic, with just pure physical specs, a human adult male is just fine.
“So, isn’t it better to ride a horse than to walk? But in the mountains, a mule is much better than a horse.”
“I’d rather be able to drag it along.”
“I won’t lead you to such a dangerous place. You can wipe out many of them from a distance, so you don’t have to worry about your mule being attacked.”
So the three of them each bought a mount before leaving Oklanye.
“… … You’re not saying that you should buy a donkey because your legs can’t reach the ground if you ride a horse, are you?”
“No way?! In the mountains, mules are really better!”
Whatever the real reason, the mules made the hike considerably easier.
There is bound to be a big difference between having to keep walking on two feet like you’re dying and being able to ride leisurely except when the road is rough.
I have rarely had the opportunity to ride a mountain for this long to the point where I regret not using it earlier.
In any case, it took a total of five days to cross the mountain range.
There haven’t been any particular problems so far.
If that was the problem, then it was a problem.
“We’re really here. Just go down here.”
“Hmm.”
When Akanksha spoke, pointing down the ridge, both Galen and Lilia showed a slightly lukewarm response.
“It’s really just a little bit… … .”
“That’s right… … .”
“Huh? What?”
Akanksha looked puzzled. The two looked at each other for a moment, then Galen scratched his cheek and opened his mouth.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“Tell me. What is it?”
“Didn’t you say that if you come this shortest route, there will be ‘a little’ of evil spirits?”
“Isn’t that so?”
“It really wasn’t much. I thought you were just trying to reassure me.”
“… … Wouldn’t it be better if it didn’t come out?”
“I’ve been wanting to go hunting for the first time in a while. I haven’t had the chance lately!”
Akanksha, who became even more confused after hearing Lilia’s words, had a question mark in his eyes. Galen shrugged slightly.
“You may not know Akanksha, but Lillia was originally known as a priest who was very active in hunting evil species in her hometown.”
“Oh, did you?”
“I wanted to get rid of all the harmful things!”
“We met while doing that too.”
“Why you again?”
“I thought hunting evil spirits was also a form of training.”
Since leaving the Eastern Frontier, I’ve spent most of my time with people, so I’ve had virtually no opportunity to encounter evil spirits.
Galen was secretly excited at the thought of gaining experience after a long time, and Lilia was secretly excited at the thought of going back to the basics after a long time.
The journey was more peaceful than I expected.
Of course, that’s not to say there wasn’t fighting, but it wasn’t to the extent that it was a fight.
“It’s annoying because only trivial things keep coming up, but there’s no real benefit… … .”
“If there’s a strong evil species living here, we’ll be in trouble.”
Akanksha grumbled.
“You say it’s a border, but this mountain range is practically our territory. If we know there’s a strong evil species, we should catch it quickly. Why would we leave it alone?”
“but.”
“If you’re so hungry for evil, go somewhere else. Sooner or later… … .”
“soon of late?”
“No. It’s already a bit awkward to bring it up. Anyway, let’s go down.”
Akanksha, who was somewhat confused, took the lead and drove the mule. The two people who tilted their heads followed behind.
The scenery that had only been visible as dots in the distance gradually became clearer as it got closer.
It could be seen as a basin nestled between the mountains. It was like a miniature version of the eastern frontier.
“It’s quite different.”
“That’s right.”
Of course, it was because of the terrain, but the feeling was completely different. Galen agreed as Lilia, who was driving a mule next to him, leaned over slightly and spoke.
The architectural style that decorates the exterior is somewhat heterogeneous, but what stands out more is its ‘lowness’.
Of course, this may be natural, considering the large difference in average height between earth elves and humans, but even taking that into account, it definitely feels unusually short.
Galen, who had been thinking about the reason for a moment, was able to figure it out after hearing Lilia’s continued words.
“Why do they all look like faults?”
“ah.”
That’s why.
Even though I don’t have eyesight as superior as Lilia, I can see that it is indeed like that from the general shape. Should I say that I didn’t raise it high, but only spread it out to the sides?
The fault line definitely felt different from the awkward human architecture.
“Because we use the power of the earth.”
Akanksha, who overheard the conversation between the two, gave a brief explanation.
“Oh, so the closer you are to the ground, the more comfortable you feel?”
“That’s not it… … It actually gets heavier when you use force. It’s difficult to use it anywhere but the first floor.”
“oh.”
If you use the technique that makes you so heavy that you won’t even budge if a water giant throws a punch at you on the second or third floor, you’ll fall through the floor and all the way to the first floor.
Rather than worrying about control on the upper floors, it would have been more reasonable to just stay on the first floor.
“There’s nothing like a fence in the village?”
“There’s no reason to do that?”
“You don’t have to worry about intrusion… right?”
“There’s no point in installing it. No matter who you fight.”
The Earth Elves are a race where each and every one of them is at least a hundred-year-old warrior. They are actually magicians, but their fighting style is closer to that of warriors.
Anyway, since you can kill a moderately evil monster by yourself, there is no need for a defensive building.
A mere fence would be of no use against a powerful enemy threatening the Silver Warriors.
Thanks to this, the village of the earth fairy had a peaceful and lovely atmosphere. It felt like a village in a fairy tale.
Even more so because everyone I meet has the appearance of a boy or a girl.
“First of all, that isn’t the destination, we have to go a little further.”
Saying so, Akanksha led the two men through the village.
There were no fences or anything, so there was no way there would be any checkpoints. They just leisurely passed by on their donkeys.
“Akanksha! Are you going out and coming back?”
“Who are the people behind you?”
“You are a guest, you are a guest.”
The earth nymphs that pass by greet Akanksha and pretend to know her.
I don’t know if it was planned in advance, but fortunately there was no hostile reaction towards the two people.
Somewhere between indifference and curiosity? I wasn’t expecting a welcoming reception with a group of flowers, so this was pretty good.
Continue going into the basin like that for a while.
Uniquely, the structure had the village on the outside of the basin and the farmland and pasture land on the inside.
As I passed that section, I started to feel a bit uncomfortable.
“From here on out, this is what you humans would call a city. There are no walls or anything.”
Shouldn’t this be called a town? Galen muttered to himself.
Compared to the towns we passed by, it was definitely more densely populated, but it was a bit too much to call it a city.
This was because the number of earth elves was so small compared to humans. The buildings were all single-story, so the area they occupied was wide, making it feel much more empty.
“Brother, brother! Do you see that?”
Still, there were plenty of things that caught the attention of the two men, tempting them like a country bumpkin who had just moved to the city.
Of course, the surrounding elves were looking at them with curiosity more than they were looking around curiously.
“Okay, okay. There’s still plenty of time left to sightsee. Let’s just see what we see first.”
Akanksha grabbed the two men.
They headed to the tallest building in the city. It was easy to find because it stood alone.
When I actually went there, it wasn’t that there were many floors, it was just the first floor, but the ceiling was high like a duplex.
“This is the headquarters of the Red Rock Federation.”
“Well, more than I thought… … .”
“Isn’t it a bit small?”
“It’s a bit frugal.”
“Well, the Federation doesn’t usually do anything particularly grand. How many things would require Federation-level power, like exploring ruins?”
Because it was in the form of a city-state, it was different from the city hall of a human city, which assumed a somewhat centralized role only for the villages within its sphere of influence.
It was a sort of loose arbitration mechanism. Of course, since there were experts like Akanksha at the headquarters, they were able to exert some degree of enforcement power.
The earth fairy at the information desk greeted her as she walked along, chatting with her friends.
“Welcome, Akanksha. Are those humans behind you those humans?”
“Oh. Is the leader in his seat?”
“That’s… … going out.”
Akanksha, who was about to head to the leader’s office naturally after receiving greetings, suddenly stopped.
“Going out? What kind of going out?”
“I’m going on patrol… … .”
“No, what’s this patrol all of a sudden? Since when have you been so diligent?”
Akanksha asked back as if she was incredulous. The earth fairy at the window hesitated and was unable to answer.
What good would it do to argue with him? Would a mere employee be able to stop the boss from leaving?
Akanksha scratched his head in annoyance and looked back at Galen and Lilia.
“Sorry, I guess you’ll have to wait a bit.”
“it’s okay.”
“I’ll tell you where to stay. Just rest there for now. Let me know when the leader comes.”
“Oh, I see.”
The Federation headquarters, although small, consisted of several buildings.
Akanksha guided the two to an annex that had been prepared for guests.
“Well, there aren’t any regular guests. In particular, have humans ever been invited here…? Not as far as I know.”
It was while Akanksha was walking down the hallway of the annex, chattering like that.
‘Who’s there?’
Galen tilted his head as he felt the presence of a living being caught in the sensory sphere of the water flow manipulation.
A cleaner… … No, is there an earth fairy or something? For something like that, there isn’t much movement.
“Okay, go in. Make yourself comfortable—”
Akanksha, who was guiding the two to the common reception room of the annex, stopped abruptly.
It was only later that I discovered the earth fairy woman sitting comfortably with her legs crossed in the armchair in the reception room.
“I heard a familiar voice. It was you, Akanksha?”
The girl with the soft smiling expression said. Akanksha’s expression crumpled.
“Why are you here, Sister?”
“Have I come to a place I can’t go?”
“I should have said something! Damn it, I know why the leader left. He ran away!”
“Even if you don’t run away, I won’t catch you and eat you.”
The girl who spoke leisurely looked back at Galen and Lilia.
“You are Galen, you are Lilia?”
“Oh, yes.”
“That’s right. Sister… … Are you Ramen Akanksha’s real older sister?”
“Yeah. It’s Radhika.”
The girl who introduced herself as Radhika said with a smile.
“He is also the vice-chairman of the Federation General Assembly.”
“… … Even if you say it like that, I still don’t understand.”
“Well, so―”
“Don’t think too hard about it.”
Akanksha cut off Radhika’s words as she tried to respond to Galen.
“Because it means you’re the strongest among us.”